Michelle may have the five World titles but Kim has Olympic Gold. Plus Michelle is a big bore and I've always personally found her highly overrated. During her era, skating most definately went downhill from the 1988-1992 period.

I voted for Kwan, Kim has the OGM but she blew two different World Championships (compared to her usual standards), and IMO Kwan is far more of a great performer than Kim ever was. Also, Kwan was at the top for so long and Kim only about 2/3 of that time, if that.

Kwan. Kim had EVERYTHING she needed to be equal or better than Kwan, all the technical goods and decent artistry, but blew it quite a few times. And she skated few back to back clean programs when it counted.

I voted for Kwan, but I could understand voting for either. Kwan has the greater body of work, and her longevity is unmatched. On the other hand, Kim has every type of victory she ever sought out, and her OGM is probably the strongest competition on the biggest stage.

I love Yu-Na and she is definitely the best skater of this IJS era. I love her speed, her big jumps and her attention to detail in terms of artistry and choreography. She's the only skater who has maximized her potential in this post-Torino crop of ladies. I believe she has firmly carved her spot in history for this sport. I adore Yu-Na and her skating very much.

However, there is no one who has come close to matching what Michelle accomplished during her career. Michelle dominated ladies skating in her time, owning the world stage for the better part of 9 years and reigning as the figure skating queen of the United States for nearly a decade. She began at a young age and maintained her competitive position at the top of the sport for the duration of her career. Her competitiveness, focus and mental toughness are almost inhuman. Her longevity and accomplishments are simply unmatched.

Lack of OGM is the one blemish on her record but for Michelle that medal is not the be all/end all for her b/c she accomplished SO much: 9 national titles, 5 world titles (9 consecutive world medals total), two Olympic medals, never missing a podium in nearly a decade...it's unbelievable.

Her lack of difficult 3-3s is seen as a weakness by some but I find it more impressive that she was able to win time and time and time again with nothing more than a 3t-3t against those who had harder combinations...that's a testament to the strength of the rest of her skating as a whole. Skating was more than just the jumps; it was about the whole package and Michelle had the whole package.

Michelle hasn't competed in years yet she is still mentioned as frequently as if she were still competing today. She had a major impact on this sport and inspired a generation of skaters...Michelle is the one who inspired Yu-Na.

Michelle Kwan is an icon and a legend in this sport. She's the best. Plain and simple.

5 World titles in 3 different Olympic quads. And longevity on or near the top for 10 years.

And while the loop was the nemesis for both, Kwan never missed it at Worlds or the Olympics and only left it out altogether in 2005 when she was too injured. Kim left it out altogether half way through 2008 season and won both her big titles without attempting it.

Besides the speed and the big 3/3s, Kwan would not be disadvantaged going head to head with Kim, because Kwan always had the edge on consistency. Drawing in an external comparison, Kwan never lost to Ando at Worlds, but Kim did, twice.

Drawing in an external comparison, Kwan never lost to Ando at Worlds, but Kim did, twice.

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I don't think that's anywhere near an apt comparison. I think Miki's best programs are her 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 SPs but she was half the skater she became during Yu-Na's quad back then. She never had a performance like her 2007 Worlds LP until...well, her 2006 SA LP, and had she skated like that in 2004 or 2005 she would have definitely have beat out Michelle, if not gone head-to-head with Shizuka or Irina for the title.

I voted for Michelle anyway. I recently re-watched Yu-Na's Lark Ascending and I realized that she has never had another program with that level of seamlessness and musicality again. She developed sensuality and command in the coming years but come on, compared to Lark her Gershwin program had like half of the choreo! And though her Danse Macabre and Bond programs have been memorable, I can't think of a single iconic moment in her long program performances since Lark.

Obviously Michelle had her share of simplistic programs - her choreo and complexity went downhill after Ariadne and basically deserted her after Schez. But her programs just have so much staying power. I still remember her exuberant spread eagle at the end of Rondo, the death drop to the solo piano run in her Rach short, even the semi-spastic footwork at the end of Aranjuez and Tosca...not only did she have incredible longevity in terms competitiveness, but she also skated with heart time and time again.

Yu-Na is certainly the more capable skater in almost every aspect of technique and she brought exactly what she needed to win her titles. But a skater who skated for the love of skating and for the love of performing would not have let the title slip away like the way she did at 2011 Worlds. And I think that's what makes me lean toward Michelle...at least for now.

I don't think that's anywhere near an apt comparison. I think Miki's best programs are her 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 SPs but she was half the skater she became during Yu-Na's quad back then. She never had a performance like her 2007 Worlds LP until...well, her 2006 SA LP, and had she skated like that in 2004 or 2005 she would have definitely have beat out Michelle, if not gone head-to-head with Shizuka or Irina for the title.

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I actually much prefer the young Ando when she was being coached by Sato. She was energetic and very light on her feet. COP wasn't kind to her.

I voted for Michelle anyway. I recently re-watched Yu-Na's Lark Ascending and I realized that she has never had another program with that level of seamlessness and musicality again. She developed sensuality and command in the coming years but come on, compared to Lark her Gershwin program had like half of the choreo! And though her Danse Macabre and Bond programs have been memorable, I can't think of a single iconic moment in her long program performances since Lark.

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Love Lark Ascending. Easily my favorite program of hers. Too bad she never quite performed it to its full potential.

Obviously Michelle had her share of simplistic programs - her choreo and complexity went downhill after Ariadne and basically deserted her after Schez. But her programs just have so much staying power. I still remember her exuberant spread eagle at the end of Rondo, the death drop to the solo piano run in her Rach short, even the semi-spastic footwork at the end of Aranjuez and Tosca...not only did she have incredible longevity in terms competitiveness, but she also skated with heart time and time again.

Yu-Na is certainly the more capable skater in almost every aspect of technique and she brought exactly what she needed to win her titles. But a skater who skated for the love of skating and for the love of performing would not have let the title slip away like the way she did at 2011 Worlds. And I think that's what makes me lean toward Michelle...at least for now.